Metal door and method of manufacturing the same.



G. H. FORSYTH. METAL Doon AND METHOD oF MANUFACTURING THB SAME.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30, 1908.

Patented Deo. 10, 1912.

Chicago, in the county GEORGE H. FORSYTH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

METAL DOOR AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING- THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led November 30, 1908. Serial No. 465,069.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. FoRsYTH, a citizen of the United States,residing at of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Metal Doors and Methods of Manufacturing theSame, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to doors and like lclosures made of sheet metalparts, and has reference partly to a novel construction of such door orclosure, and partly to the novel method of joining and uniting the partsthereof without the use, to any appreciable extent, of rivets, screws orlike mechanical fastenings.

The invention will be readily understood when considered in connectionwith the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a sheet' metal doorembodying the invention, and in connection with the following detaildescription of my novel method of manufacturing the same.

Referring to the drawing,-Figure 1 is any elevational view of a doorembodying the invention, one of the side-frame members being shown aspartially removed more particularly to illustrate the means for andmanner of uniting the side and top bars of the door at the corners.Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are cross-sectional details, enlarged, on the lines2-2, 3 3, and 4-4, respectively. Fig. 5 is a cross-section, enlarged,through one of the panels, illustrating a modified form of internalpanel, reinforcement. Fig. 6 is a perspective detail illustrating amodification of the means for securing the mullion and transom bars tothe main panel plates.

The door herein shown is of the multiplepaneled type, comprising in itsmain constructional make-up vertical side-frame members 10, horizontaltop and bottom frame-members 11, mullions and transoms 12 and 13,respectively, and panels 14.

Referring now tothe details of construction, the vertical side rails-10,as likewise the horizontal top and bottom rails 11, of the boundingframe, are made of sheet metal bent longitudinally to present hollowframemembers having 'three plain rectangular sides; while the fourth orinner side, constituted by the meeting marginal rportions of the metal,is so shaped up as to present beveled panel frames and a series ofgrooves adapted to engage the .margins of the panels. The beveled panelframes of the verandA strong ,(ting parts, "the invention.

tical rails 10 arevindicated by 15, between which are the lgrooves 16which receivethe vertical margins lof a pair of parallel panelunitedlymake up the sevplates 17 which between the grooves 16 eral panels 14,and is a central verse wall of which is formed by the overlappingrect'angularly bent margins of the metal sheet from which the rail ismade, said groove 18 receiving the margin of a central panel-reinforcingor filling plate 19. In the case of the top and bottom horizontal rails11, the beveled panel frames are designated by 20, the panel-receivinggrooves by 21, and the central receiving groove of the panelreinforcement by 22.V The vertical and horizontal rails 10 and 11 areunited by L-shaped cor'ner connectors herein shown as rectangular hollowsheet metal members 23 which .have formed on their inner edges a pair offins 24 which fit reversely disposed channels such as 25 that liebetween the channels 21 and 22 of the horizontal rails and thecorresponding channels 16 and 18 of the vertical rails.

above stated, the horizontal and vertical rails 10 and 11 constitute abounding frame for a pair of parallel panel-plates 17, between which isthe filling and reinforcing 19, which is corrugated in various ways toform a light and strong reinforcement between and engaging both of theplates 17 As shown inFigs. 1, 2 and 3, the reinforcing plate 19 is4formed with staggered rows of alternate oppositely disposed lateralprojections 26 and 27 pressed therefrom, the outer faces of saidprojections engaging the plates 17 and forming a light and strongstiflening and lling for the latter. In Fig. 5 I have shown areinforcement comprising a pair of plates 28 and 29 lying face to faceand having outwardly pressed projections 30 and v31, respectively,similarly engaging the pane -plates 17. It is obvious that numerousother specific forms of light skeleton reinforcement might be employed.

For doors and other closures of *relatively small dimensionshavngasingle plain panel, the construction as thus far described is complete,'except as to the permanent union of thel assembled parts.

I will now describe a simple, inexpensive,

method of uniting the interit- The parts before being aS- groove` 18,the inner or trans- Patented Dee. io, 1912. I

which constitutes one feature of l sembled are dipped in a metalliccoating material of a cementit-ious nature, consisting of melted tin,or, preferably, a solderlike mixture of melted tin and lead. rlfhis 5forms a protective coating, affording an attractive external appearance,as well as protecting the metal, where of oXidizable material, againstrust; and, when the parts have been assembled by sliding them together,as indicated in Fig. 1 Where one of the vertical frame-bars is sho-wnpartially removed, the entire structure is subjected to the influence ofheat, as by placing the same in a suitable oven, suiiclent to soften thecoating. This causes the coating on the overlapping parts to coalesce,thus strongly adhering the latter and 'ving to the structure a strengthand rigidity fully equal to that secured by the employment o-f rivets,screws and like mechanical fastenings. This can be done without injuryto the appearance of the coating on the exposed parts if theA exlposureto the heat be nottoo great or undu y rolonged.' In the event however,that t e coating on the exposed' parts should be injured by undueexposure to the heat, this can easily be remedied by a simple redippingof the frame in the original coating material.

Where itis desired to give the structure a multiple panel effect, asshown in Fig. 1, through the use of mullions and transoms, I preferablyform and applyA these latter as follows: Secured to the outer faces ofthe main panel-plates 14 as by rivets 32 (Fig. '2), and disposed in thehorizontal and vertical planes of the transoms and mullions are securingstrips 33 which have intermediate outwardly bent portions adapted toengage and reinforce the transom and mullion strips, and outwardlyoffset marginal portions 34 which, with the panelplates 14, constituteslideways for the reentrant marginal portions 35 of the transom andmullion strips 13 and 12. The transom-securing strips extend entirelyacross the panel-plates, while the mullionsecuring strips areinterrupted at the crossings of the transom strips. The transom andmullion strips themselves have flat outer faces that are flush with eachother, and oblique portions 36 between the flat faces and the rentrantmargins 35, said obli ue portions constituting 1n part the beve ed ramesof the individual panels 14. At their ends the face portions of thetransom and mullion strips are offset inwardly, forming oblique sections37 adapted to engage and overlie the beveled frame sections of theindividual panels, and the inner ends of said oblique sections 37 areprovided with tongues 38 which project inwardly of the frame rails andtransoms through suitable slots formed in the beveled Walls thereof. Thenecessities of assembling permit the use of these tongues on all exceptthe intermediate section of the mullion strips, the tongues beingomitted from the latter in order to permit of the application of thetransom strips in the manner hereinafter described.

Fig. 6 shows a modification of the securing means o-f the mullion andtransom strips which consists in cutting and offsetting from the facesof the panels 17 integral tongues 39 which are engaged by the lips 35and end tongues 38 of the transom and mullion strips in the same Way asindicated in Fig. 2.

The interitting parts of the structure as above described are so formedthat, in assembling, the parts are capable of being slid longitudinally,one over and into the other, until the complete structure has beenassembled. For instance, the main panel-plates 17, with their interiorreinforcement, having been temporarily secured together, theintermediate sections of the mullion st-rips are first applied bysliding them longitudinally over the securing strips 33. The transversetransom 'strips are then similarly applied by sliding them over thehorizontal securing strips. The end sections of the mullionstrips arethen applied in the same manner; the end rails 11l are then applied;and, finally, the side rails 10 carrying the L- shaped connectors fittedtherein, are then applied in the manner indicated at the leftl inFig. 1. As the parts are desi ned to fit with considerable snugness, theriction of the engaging members -is suiicient to hold the completestructure together until the parts are permanently united, which is doneby first immersing the parts separat-ely in a solution of metalliccementitious material, as alread described, and then subjecting theassem led structure to the action of heat sufficient to soften thecementitious coating and thoroughly adhere the overlapping andinterlocking parts.

While I have described the invention as embodied in a door or likeclosure, yet it will be evident that the principle and constructionalfeatures disclosed are capable of embodiment to advantage in partitionsand other wall structures wherever a comparatively light, strong metalpaneled structure is desired.

I claim:

1. A metal panel structure of the characplates, and transom and marginalportions of said panel-plate, a securing strip on the face of saidpanel-plate, and a division strip slidably engaging and held by theoutturned edges of said securing strip, said division strip havingtongued ends tted into saidrame, and said securing strip having aprojection engaging the central portion of said division strip.

3. A sheet met-al door structure, comprising a pair of parallelpanel-plates, an intermediate reinforing plate having laterally offsetprojections engaging the inner surfaces of said panel-plates, a hollowmetal frame having a grooved inner edge adapted to receive the manginalportions of said panel-plates and reinforcing plate, securing strips onthe outer faces of said panelmullion strips having sliding engagement ontheir opposite edges with corresponding edges of said securing stripsand tongued ends fitted into said hollow frame, said securing stripshaving projections engaging the central portio-ns of said mullionstrips. 4. In a metal door structure, the combination of marginal framemembers, a panel held by said marginal members, a securing memberattached to said panel and having outwardly bent edges and an elevatedcentral portion, and a division member having sliding engagement withthe outwardly bent edges of said securing member and supported by theelevated central portion of said securing member.

GEORGE H. FORSYTH.

Witnesses: v

SAMUEL N.r POND, AILEN W. Moons.

